Hope & Glory
by BobWhite
Summary: A new workhand brings a little mystery to the Heartland Ranch. What happens when the new workhand's brother shows up with a bunch of wild horses? Pls R&R 2 find out more. Full summary inside.


**Full Summary:**

Hope is the new workhand around the Heartland Ranch. Glory is Hope's horse. What happens when Amy, Ty & the others see why Hope won't let anyone near Glory? Is the horse wounded in some way? And if so, will Hope let Scott take a look at Glory? Or does she already know what's wrong?

**A New Workhand:**

**Flemming House:**

Jack wandered down to the kitchen and noticed Lou at the desk. He patted her on the shoulder and wandered over to get some coffee. It was early morning and he knew that Ty would be in for some breakfast before they started in on work around the Ranch. Amy was still in her room but would be down shortly and Mallory would also be arriving soon.

He grabbed some coffee and a piece of toast and sat down to read the newspaper. Ty walked in as Amy came downstairs, dressed and ready for work. Lou had just gotten off the phone and went to get some coffee as well. Amy made herself and Ty some tea and toast before sitting down at the table as well. They sat next to each other. Lou was about to sit at the table when Mallory walked in. She'd poured some orange juice for the girl and handed it to her.

"Thanks Lou. So what's with this meeting we're supposed to have? You've got me excited to think that you've hired someone to help with the workload."

"Actually, I have. Her name is Hope Jackson and she should be arriving this afternoon."

"But where is she going to sleep Lou? I mean our house is full and Ty is in the loft." _Amy said. _  
"Well, that's what I told her when she called and asked about the job opening. She said it wouldn't be a problem since she had a camper hooked up to her truck. But she's bringing her own horse so we'll have to clear out one of the stalls."

"That shouldn't be a problem. So how old is this new workhand?" _Ty asked._

"She's almost twenty-three years old. Apparently she just finished working for some vet for the last couple years and has been driving around the countryside looking for any work that is to be had. She says she could use a break from driving all over the place."

"Well, then I guess she'll fit in just fine around here. Did you get the reference to call her last job?" _Jack asked._

"Of course grandpa. I called her last job but I just keep getting the voicemail. I have a feeling she let us know what happened when she gets here. She didn't seem to want to talk about it over the phone. I think she was driving when I called her earlier."

"That girl must live in her camper and truck then. Poor horse probably ever gets out of the trailer and that's not good." _Mallory said._

"Well, we'll know when she gets here later on. But for now, I think we should all head out and start working, don't you?"

"Yes Lou. Come on Mallory, let's leave Lou to it and start clearing out one of the stalls."

"I'm coming."

**Arrival:**

It was supposed to be a temporary job. I wasn't really looking for a place to settle down. When I'd gone to work for Jonathan, he'd said that he would eventually get to hiring someone else but he never did and it had ended up becoming a permanent job. Luckily for me, he looked after Glory free of charge and I didn't have to pay him for the veterinary bills when it came time for a checkup. But at last, all good things must come to an end. And this good thing came to an abrupt halt shortly after the fire at the clinic.

When I'd seed the job opening at Heartland Ranch, it seemed a good a place as any to start over. I had given Ms. Flemming the number to the clinic without even thinking about it. Now as I drove to the Ranch with the directions she'd given me, I couldn't help but laugh a little when I realized that she wouldn't be able to get ahold of anyone. The fire had pretty much destroyed Jonathan's life work. Most of his patient's files had been backed up on a flash drive that he'd given me to hold almost two full days before the fire. And I always kept Glory's vet file in the camper so if anyone needed to know her history I could get it for them. After the fire, I had given the flash drive back to Jonathan, told him that I would call and hit the road.

I had needed time to decompress after what had happened, to get away for a while. He seemed to understand. He kissed my cheek and told me to be careful and to keep a watchful eye on Glory and I told him that I would. Glory was my pride and joy. She was my everything. She was the reason I got up every morning. If it wasn't for her, I don't know what I would have done after the fire. But here we were, heading to Heartland Ranch for me to start my new job. It would be good to start back into work. I hadn't been working for a while and it would be good for the both of us to be back to a somewhat normal schedule.

As I pulled into the Heartland Ranch, I noticed that it looked peaceful. There was so much acreage. I knew that Glory would have to get used to the new surroundings and I was going to help her with it. But I also knew that they would think it pretty strange that Glory always had to be around music. It wasn't strange at all. Music had helped her heal when she was younger after the fall. Music had helped the both of us heal after the fire. And music would help us in this new job of mine. I drove up the path and saw a small farmhouse, a barn, a few corrals and some people out by one of the corrals. I honked and pulled up next to the farmhouse. Turning off the engine, I got out and headed around the back to let Glory out. Ms. Flemming came over to me.

"Hope Jackson?"

"That's me. You must be Ms. Flemming."

"You can call me Lou, everyone does. Anyways, this is my family and our two other workhands."

"It's nice to meet you all. Is it alright if I let Glory out to one of the corrals? She's been cooped up a little too long and I want her to be able to run if she so desires."

"Yeah, that's not a problem and we can get you set up over next to the barn, so you don't have to move your camper everywhere when you want to drive anywhere."

"That sounds great. Just one second."

I disappeared into the trailer after opening the door and put a halter on Glory so that I could lead her out. Now there's something you should know about Glory. She's not your average horse; in fact I wouldn't really call her a horse. Some might call her wild or extinct, but I loved the way she looked, a little wild and extinct thrown together.

"She's a little shy of others so if you could step back a little?"

"No problem, so how long have you had Glory?"

"Almost my whole life. She's been in my family for as long as I can remember. She was a gift to my grandmother when she was a little girl and has been with the family ever since. Since I fell in love with her the minute I saw her when I was like two, she's been mine ever since."

"She must be one old horse for to have gone through three generations already."

"She's old, she just doesn't look it. Come on Glory."

I walked out of the trailer leading Glory. The Flemming's had to admit that she really didn't look old. But she was taller than most horses are and she looked like she had once been wild.

"So, which corral can I put her in?"

"How about the one next to the barn? There aren't any horses in there right now and you can ride her whenever you want. When Amy gets a client, she'll need the corral but she doesn't have a client at the moment."

"Good to know. Thanks."

Amy had opened the door and I escorted Glory inside. She shook her head as I removed the halter and stomped her foot. I knew what she wanted. I had stopped her music when I had shut the truck off. She wanted her music back. I laughed and scratched her head, of which she went completely silent. She hung her head a little and loved the way my hand felt. If she wasn't standing she'd of been asleep by now. I moved out of the corral and Amy shut the gate. Glory stayed in the same spot she had been stopped in and looked around, well kind of.

**Contract:**

Lou walked me into the barn after I moved my truck and trailer to the side of the barn. We'd detached the trailer and made sure it wouldn't roll before placing my camper on the ground as well, securing it standing up with its four feet (if you know how a camper stands, imagine it cause I don't remember what the legs are really called). She showed me where Glory would stay, what my job would be, that I had to listen to Ty, Amy & Mallory when it came to certain horses. I took it all in stride. It's not like I had never worked around horses before. Glory was my pride and joy and I wasn't going to let anyone harm her.

We moved to the house and sat down at the kitchen table. She rummaged around on the desk a little before finding what she was looking for and then came to sit next to me with a pen and some papers.

"So this will be your contract. I'm going to need you to read it and sign at the bottom. But I also wanted to talk to you about the work reference you gave me."

"Oh yeah about that. I accidently gave you the number to the veterinary clinic I worked for without even thinking. I'll give you Jonathan's number instead and you can ask him all the question you want."

"What happened to the phone at the clinic and why doesn't it work?" _Amy asked as she, Ty and Mallory walked in to get something to eat for lunch._

"There was a fire and a lot of stuff got destroyed. Which is why I'm all the way out here looking for a job. Had to get away for a while, get back into a somewhat normal routine."

"Was Glory at the clinic when the fire happened?"

"We both were; I was sleeping in the loft above the barn that the clinic owned so I was able to save most of the animals before any of them were badly hurt. But it wasn't without harm. I put most of the animals in Glory's trailer as I had shut her in the forward compartment so she couldn't hurt the animals. Jonathan showed up right after I had gone back in to get one of the animals that had just had surgery. He was unable to get in as part of the roof collapsed. Firefighters thought I'd been killed until I jumped through the plate glass window in the back, animal in hand. They said that what I had done was brave, but still stupid. Jonathan was just glad that I was alright. He was glad that the animals were alright as well, but more me. You know how brothers can get."

"I bet, he must have been terrified when he saw you running into a burning building." _Ty said._

"He would have done the same thing I had. He was just too stubborn at the time to admit it. Three days in the hospital for smoke inhalation and I was as good as new or so to say. Glory's been more protective of me since then."

"You must do everything with Glory then?" _Mallory asked._

"We used to, but she's getting so old that it's hard for her to do much anymore. Maybe when her foal is born she'll be more apt to doing things. Jonathan said he'd call me when the foal had been born and I told him I would come get it."

"Wait, how can Glory have a foal and not be the one carrying it?" _Lou asked._

"Jonathan took some of her eggs and put them into her daughter. Sorta like human insemination or IVF. It was experimental to begin with but he thought it would be a good experiment. If this works, Glory's daughter Cleo can live longer. He'll use the birth sac to possibly cure Cleo. Another experimental experiment that Jonathan was trying to get to work. Cleo was diagnosed with cancer six months ago. Joy, Cleo's twin sister is the one carrying the foal."

"Sounds like your vet brother was more into experimental medicine than actual medicine."

"The horses have been in our family forever, we just wanted to keep the lineage going. Glory is the last of her kind. Her family was wild but according to Jonathan, her blood type matched that of an extinct horse line from the Ice Age. When she dies, the last of the old lineage will die with her."

"Okay, well that's enough talk for now. You need to get settled and get Glory accustomed to her new home for now. You'll start work tomorrow at 0800 with the rest of us. We'll see you at dinner."

I got up after signing the contract and writing Jonathan's number at the bottom of the contract and left the table. I headed out to my camper and got in. I needed a breather as well. Besides, Glory's medicine was in the camper as well and I knew she was getting antsy for her music. I sat on the step next to the sink and just set there for a minute. I pulled my shirt up a little and looked at the scarring from where I had burned and then where I had jumped through the plate glass window. I was still healing; I just didn't want anyone to know that. I grabbed my IPod, some big headphones and a bridle from the storage area above the table and headed back to see Glory. Opening the corral door, I put the IPod in my back pocket and the headphones around my neck before moving to Glory. She whinnied to me and I made my way over to her. I slipped the bridal on, guided her out of the corral and hopped on after closing the door. I pulled the IPod out, turned the music on full volume and headed out to see the land.


End file.
